Cooking apparatus

ABSTRACT

A cooking apparatus ( 10 ) is disclosed which comprises a double-shelled housing ( 12 ) with top cover ( 14 ), side walls ( 16 ) and a front plate ( 20 ) which is in the form of an arch to provide a storage space ( 22 ) underneath. A food vapours condensation chamber is located between the inner and outer shells of the housing ( 12 ) and the outer shells of the housing ( 12 ) are exposed to atmosphere so that they cool by radiation and convection. The cooking apparatus ( 10 ) further includes a fryer unit ( 18 ) which is located within an opening ( 24 ) in the front plate ( 20 ). The fryer unit ( 18 ) comprises a casing and a rotary cylindrical drum ( 26 ). The drum is devoid of an axle and is mounted by seals which bear on the periphery the drum. A plurality of parallel diametrically extending passages ( 30 ) pass through the drum ( 26 ). One end of each passage ( 30 ) is extended by a spout ( 32 ) for receiving food to be fried while the other end of each passage ( 30 ) cooperates with a basket which can then swing down into hot oil for cooking.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to cooking apparatus and specifically toapparatus for frying foods such as potato chips.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Chip fryers are known which include baskets into which the chips areplaced, the baskets then being dipped into the hot oil. In oneconstruction the baskets form part of a structure which can be rotatedbetween a cooking position and a filling/emptying position.

The present invention provides an improved food fryer of the typedescribed in the preceding paragraph.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided afood fryer unit comprising a casing having an opening therein, a rotarycylindrical drum, a first part of the drum being inside the casing and asecond part of the drum protruding through said opening, combinedmounting means and seals carried by said casing and extending along theopening, said mounting means and seals bearing on the cylindricalsurface of the drum and permitting the drum to rotate whilst inhibitingmotion thereof transverse to its axis, a plurality of passages passingthrough the drum, opposite ends of each passage opening through thesurface of said first and second parts of the drum, and baskets forholding food, the baskets being at the ends of the passages which arewithin the casing.

A food fryer unit comprising a fixed lower mounting means and seal and amovable upper mounting means and seal, the upper mounting means and sealbeing moved away from the lower mounting means and seal to permit thedrum between them to be removed.

Said upper mounting means and seal can include means which urges ittowards said lower mounting means and seal to retain said drumtherebetween.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is providedcooking apparatus which comprises a double-walled housing constituted byinner and outer shells, there being a condensation chamber between theinner and outer shells of the housing and the outer shell of the housingbeing exposed to atmosphere so that it cools by radiation andconvection, and which apparatus further comprises a fryer unit includinga casing which defines a vessel for containing hot cooking oil, therebeing upper and lower sets of registering ports in said casing and inthe inner shell of the housing whereby hot cooking vapours can escapefrom the fryer unit and into said condensation chamber via the upper setof ports and dewatered vapours can return via the lower set of ports.

There can be a drain valve at the lower end of said vessel for enablingused oil to be drained out. In addition there can be a drain valve atthe lower end of said condensation chamber.

Said housing and said fryer unit can be separable, the ports coming intoregister as the fryer unit is moved into said housing.

The casing of the fryer unit of the cooking apparatus can have anopening therein and the fryer unit can include a rotary cylindricaldrum, a first part of the rotary cylindrical drum being inside thecasing and a second part of the rotary cylindrical drum protruding fromsaid casing through said opening in said casing, combined mounting meansand seals carried by the casing and extending along the opening, saidmounting means and seals bearing on the cylindrical surface of therotary cylindrical drum and permitting the drum to rotate whilstinhibiting motion thereof transverse to its axis, a plurality ofpassages passing through the rotary cylindrical drum, opposite ends ofeach passage opening through the surface of said first and second partsof the rotary cylindrical drum, and baskets for holding food, thebaskets being at those ends of the passages which are within saidcasing.

In the preferred from the fryer unit comprises a fixed lower mountingmeans and seal and a movable upper mounting means and seal, the uppermounting means and seal being moved away from the lower mounting meansand seal to permit the drum between them to be removed.

Said upper mounting means and seal can includes means which urges ittowards said lower mounting means and seal to retain the drumtherebetween.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how thesame may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way ofexample, to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of cooking apparatus in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrammatic side elevations illustrating theapparatus in the cooking position and the filling/emptying positionrespectively;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of the apparatus; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing the internalconstruction of the apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a housing 12 having a loosetop cover 14 and side walls 16. The rear wall of the housing 12 is notvisible in FIG. 1. The apparatus 10 further includes a fryer unit 18which fits in the housing 12. The front plate 20 of the housing 12 is inthe form of an arch which provides a storage space 22 underneath it.Above the storage space 22 the front wall 20 has an opening 24 in itthrough which the fryer unit 18 is accessible.

Referring specifically to FIG. 2, the fryer unit 18 includes a casing 28and a rotary cylindrical drum 26. The drum 26 is positioned so that itlies partly inside the casing 28 and partly outside this casing 28. Aplurality of parallel diametrically extending passages 30, four in theillustrated embodiment, pass through the drum 26. One end of eachpassage 30 opens through that part of the cylindrical surface of thedrum 26 which is outside the fryer unit's casing 28. This end of eachpassage 30 is extended by a spout 32. The other end of each passage 30opens through that part of the cylindrical surface of the drum 26 whichis within the casing 28. This other end of each passage 30 is extendedby a basket 34. The baskets 34 are of metal and are apertured so thathot oil can enter them when they are dipped into hot oil which is in anoil vessel 36 (see FIGS. 2, 3 and 6). The oil vessel 36 is constitutedby the lower part of the casing 28.

The oil vessel 36 is bounded by inclined bottom walls 38, 40 which slopedown to a trough 42. A drain valve 44 (FIG. 5) fitted to the trough 42enables the vessel 36 to be emptied.

The casing 28 further includes side walls 46 and a rear wall 48. Twocondensate exhaust ports 50 are provided in the rear wall 48 near theupper end of this wall 48. An inlet port 52 is provided in each sidewall 46.

The upper end of the casing 28 is constituted by an inclined top closure54. Thus the casing 28, when in use, is entirely closed apart from theports 50, 52. The top closures 54 slopes up towards the ports 50.

On the inner face of each side wall 16 there is a support 56 which ishorizontal and extends from front to rear (see FIG. 5). The unit 18 hasrails 58 on the outer faces of the side walls 46. As the unit 18 is slidinto the housing 12, after removal of the front plate 20, the rails 58slide onto the supports 56 and hence the unit 18 hangs from the supports56.

The rear wall of the housing 12 is designated 60 in the drawings. Therear wall 60, and also the side walls 16, are of double-shellconstruction. Each consequently has a space therein between its innerand outer shells. These spaces are designated 62 and 64 in FIG. 4.

The inner shells have ports therein which match the ports 50, 52 in bothposition and size. Bosses 66 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) encircle the ports 50,52. The condensation chamber constituted by the inter-shell spaces 62,64 of the side walls 16 and rear wall 60 communicates with the casing 28via these bosses 66.

Concertina-like foil sleeves (not shown) bridge the gaps between thefryer unit 18 and the housing 12 and are fitted to the bosses 66. Hencecooking vapours cannot escape from the casing 28 into the gap between itand the housing 12.

A drain valve 68 is provided close to the lower end of the condensationchamber.

The drum 26 is not mounted on an axle but is carried by upper and lowermounting means and seals 70 and 72 (see FIGS. 2, 3 and 6) which arethemselves carried by the casing 28. Each mounting means and seal 70, 72is arcuate in cross section and each has its part-cylindrical surface incontact with the surface of the drum 26. The extent of each seal 70, 72is such that the drum 26, whilst free to rotate in the seals 70, 72, isprevented from moving transversely to its axis of rotation.

The lower mounting means and seal 72 is fixed and the drum 26 simplyrests on it. The upper mounting means and seal 70 is weighted so that itpresses down on the top of the drum 26. As the drum 26 is inserted intothe gap between the mounting means and seals 70, 72, the upper mountingmeans and seal 70 is displaced upwardly, against the action of theweight, by the drum 26. As the drum 26 reaches its final position, themounting means and seal 70 moves down and its part cylindrical facerests on the cylindrical face of the drum 26. The mounting means andseals 70, 72 are preferably slightly offset from the vertical planepassing through the axis of the drum 26 thereby to restrain the drum 26against accidental displacement out of the casing 28 of the unit 18.

Further seals, not shown, extend across the ends of the drum 26 toprevent leakage of vapours arising from the cooking process.

A protective plate 74 is provided below the vessel 36 (see FIGS. 2, 3and 6).

In use the vessel 36 has oil poured into it and the heating elements(not shown) are switched on.

A portion of the food to be fried is placed in a paper cup (not shown)or other receptacle, and the cup is placed on one of the spouts 32. Thedrum 26 is at this time in the position shown in FIG. 3. It is thentilted to the position shown in FIG. 2. The food slides out of the cupand along the passage 30 into the basket 34 which simultaneously swingsdown into the hot oil. Once cooked, the food is drained by raising thebasket 34 to a horizontal position for a short while and then retrievedby rotating the drum 26 back to the position shown in FIG. 3.

Vapours, mainly water, arising from the cooking process, escape from thecasing 28 through the ports 50 and are condensed in the condensationchamber between the inner and outer shells. Vapours return to the fryercasing 28 by way of the ports 52. The construction is such that, withoutthe use of fans, a circulatory flow is created through the spaces 62, 64and the fryer casing 28. It will be noted that the outer shells areexposed to atmosphere and are hence cooler than the rest of theapparatus 10. The condensation chamber can be emptied by opening thevalve 68.

The drum 26 can be in two or more axially aligned parts, each parthaving one, two or more passages 30 therethrough.

An advantage of the apparatus 10 described is that it does not requirean extraction fan or circulation fan for handling cooking vapoursbecause they circulate by convection as described above. A furtheradvantage is that the mounting of the drum, being devoid of axles andbearings, is less complex and the drum can simply be pulled out afterlifting the weighted upper seal.

1. A food fryer unit comprising a casing having an opening therein, arotary cylindrical drum, a first part of the drum being inside thecasing and a second part of the drum protruding through said opening,combined mounting means and seals carried by said casing and extendingalong the opening, said mounting means and seals bearing on thecylindrical surface of the drum and permitting the drum to rotate whilstinhibiting motion thereof transverse to its axis, a plurality ofpassages passing through the drum, opposite ends of each passage openingthrough the surface of said first and second parts of the drum, andbaskets for holding food, the baskets being at the ends of the passageswhich are within the casing.
 2. A food fryer unit as claimed in claim 1and comprising a fixed lower mounting means and seal and a movable uppermounting means and seal, the upper mounting means and seal being movedaway from the lower mounting means and seal to permit the drum betweenthem to be removed.
 3. A food fryer unit as claimed in claim 2, whereinsaid upper mounting means and seal includes means which urges it towardssaid lower mounting means and seal to retain said drum therebetween. 4.Cooking apparatus which comprises a double-walled housing constituted byinner and outer shells, there being a condensation chamber between theinner and outer shells of the housing and the outer shell of the housingbeing exposed to atmosphere so that it cooks by radiation andconvection, and which apparatus further comprises a fryer unit includinga casing which defines a vessel for containing hot cooking oil, therebeing upper and lower sets of registering ports in said casing and inthe inner shell of the housing whereby not cooking vapours can escapefrom the fryer unit and into said condensation chamber via the upper setof ports and dewatered vapours can return via the lower set of ports. 5.Cooking apparatus as claimed in claim 4, and which includes a drainvalve at the lower end of said vessel for enabling used oil to bedrained out.
 6. Cooking apparatus as claimed in claim 4, and whichincludes a drain valve at the lower end of said condensation chamber. 7.Cooking apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said housing and saidfryer unit are separable, the ports coming into register as the fryerunit is moved into said housing.
 8. Cooking apparatus as claimed inclaim 4, wherein said casing has an opening therein and the fryer unitincludes a rotary cylindrical drum, a first part of the rotarycylindrical drum being inside the casing and a second part of the rotarycylindrical drum protruding from said casing through said opening insaid casing, combined mounting means and seals carried by the casing andextending along the opening, said mounting means and seals bearing onthe cylindrical surface of the rotary cylindrical drum and permittingthe drum to rotate whilst inhibiting motion thereof transverse to itsaxis, a plurality of passages passing through the rotary cylindricaldrum, opposite ends of each passage opening through the surface of saidfirst and second parts of the rotary cylindrical drum, and baskets forholding food, the baskets being at those ends of the passages which arewithin said casing.
 9. A food fryer unit as claimed in claim 8 andcomprising a fixed lower mounting means and seal and a movable uppermounting means and seal, the upper mounting means and seal being movedaway from the lower mounting means and seal to permit the drum betweenthem to be removed.
 10. A food fryer unit as claimed in claim 9, whereinsaid upper mounting means and seal includes means which urges it towardssaid lower mounting means and seal to retain the drum therebetween.